Toilets and urinals in the marketplace typically include a trap or similar attachment coupled to the soil or drain pipe which prevents the return of unpleasant odors from the sewers. Such attachments isolate unpleasant odors only after use of the toilet or urinal, but do nothing with respect to odors produced during use of the toilet or urinal.
Arrangements for removing unpleasant odors from the area of a toilet or urinal are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,473 to Nakamura discloses a urinal having a so-called smell release function. The Nakamura urinal shell has an air space formed within the urinal shell and "smell release ports" for drawing the offensive air generated in the urinal into the air space. The offensive smell is then vented from the vicinity of the urinal through a drain pipe. The Nakamura urinal does not have any means for sensing the presence of a person.
Other examples of toilets and urinals for exhausting unpleasant odors include: U.S. Pat. No. 2,646,574 to Gillespie which discloses a urinal with strategically placed vents; and U.S. Pat. No. 704,471 to Brown which discloses a ventilator attachment to toilets.
Each of the above described toilets and urinals has drawbacks. One major drawback of prior urinals is that they do not have a sensor for detecting the presence of a user of the urinal. Furthermore, the patents described above which disclose urinals that have an odor removing mechanisms, operate the mechanisms only at such time as the user has concluded use of the urinal.
In the case of a visit to the toilet or urinal which is long in duration and has created unpleasant odors in the process, a device which can remove the unpleasant odors during the visit is very desirable.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a toilet or urinal system which will detect the presence of a user, and operate to exhaust unpleasant odors from the vicinity during use of the toilet or urinal and until such time as the user has concluded such use.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide toilet and urinal systems which effectively remove unpleasant odors from the vicinity of the toilet or urinal.
Additionally, it is a further object of the invention to provide a toilet and urinal for use in a system for removing unpleasant odors during use of the toilet or urinal.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a ventilation system for a toilet or urinal which will operate automatically during use of the toilet or urinal.